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Scenario: American Technocracy
American Technocracy is the period following the The Attitude Era, the Post-Second Cold War period, and the Second American Civil War, beginning in 2033 at the end of the War. Following the Civil War, there was a shift in economic and political power from the East Coast to the West Coast, as the Silicon Valley Metropolis, otherwise known as the "Metropolis", replaces Washington, D.C. as the federal capital. The US Government was overthrown and replaced by The Federal Council, a technocratic government. Under this system, the United States is led by a small group of "decision-makers", each chosen by virtue of how much money and "clout" they have. Clout is a form of social currency in the Technocracy that can determine everything from job opportunities, to where you live. It is based on what one posts on social media, criminal record, and other factors and is highly similar to China's Social Credit System. On the state level, each state has its own ruling state council. However, state councils are popularly elected on the social media. On the city level, there are still the existing mayoral systems but mayors are elected as well. Key Events and Trends Metropolis: After the War, the entire Silicon Valley area in California (Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and the City of San Francisco) is combined into one massive conurbation, officially known as Silicon Valley Metropolis, Federal Capital, or "Metropolis" for short. It replaces Washington, DC as the capital of the United States -- this is done in order for the new government to distance itself from the old Federal Government, and also because DC (along with the entire East Coast) had been devastated during the War, while most of California was virtually untouched. It grows to become the largest city in the world, and the center of American business and government. The tech moguls of Metropolis lead the reconstruction efforts, and within a decade, the United States returns to the prominent economic position it once held. Metropolis becomes the center of worldwide technological innovation, and is the most expensive city in the world. However, there are long-term concerns about the region's vulnerability to earthquakes and growing inequality. CenterPage and Clout: Clout is'' a'' social currency used in the United States that had its origins in the early-2010s with the rise of social media, but became validated and enforced by the Federal Council after the Civil War. Clout is based on factors such as how many friends and/or followers one has on social media, one's criminal record, and renown in one's local community; one can have "good clout", "bad clout", or no clout at all. The Clout System is put in place in order to regulate social media usage and a means of government control over the citizenry, however it becomes something of a caste system those with bad clout or no clout are looked down upon. Having bad clout will cause you to be shunned by society, whereas not having any clout at all limits your social mobility. Most citizens have accounts on CenterPage --'' the government-run social media platform and the only such platform that exists -- from a young age in order to start building their clout up. CenterPage is a consolidation of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other previous social media sites. Clout can determine where you can live, your job and business opportunities, and social mobility. You are free to post whatever you want on CenterPage (except for hate speech), but having good clout is rewarded and thus citizens are encouraged to be mindful of what they post on CenterPage. 'Libra:' The new official currency used by the United States, and much of the world, replacing the US Dollar -- which had become worthless following the Civil War. It was developed in the late 2010s and early 2020s by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. '''The' Disciplinary Actions: A period of martial law, renewed conflict, and government repression carried out by The United States Federal Council Army, under the command of Maurice Bradshaw against leftists led by Christopher Elliot, remnants of The American Legion, and Texas. It was essentially a continuation of Civil War hostilities, although at a much lower-level and was completely uneven as the United States Army had the edge. During the Disciplinary Actions, every trace of conservatism was completely erased from American society -- symbols of the American Legion were banned, conservatives were banned from running for office, laws were put into place that banned hate speech, and hundreds of thousands of people were killed. The actions were condemned by much of the world, but it was justified by the new government as necessary in order to construct the society that the Council wanted. Texas is invaded and forcefully reunited with the United States as well during this time. The legacy of The Disciplinary Actions is something that would haunt American society for generations that followed. United States Federal Council: The ruling executive branch of the United States government based in Metropolis. It consists of the Commander-in-Chief (military leader), Surgeon-General (medical representative), Finance Secretary (an economic/financial representative), Engineer-General (tech industry representative), Secretary of Culture (enterainment), and the Premier (democratically-elected representative, head of Congress) -- who is elected and chosen by the state councils. Council members have no veto power over one another and make decisions based on consensus, similar to the Supreme Court -- the executive powers are shared equally between each council member. Council members rule for life, or until they choose to resign, are impeached and removed from office by Congress, or become incapacitated. The checks and balances system from the old republic is retained: The Federal Council represents the executive branch, the State Council Congress (which consists of representatives from each state council) is the legislative body, and the Supreme Court is the judicial body. Decisions are made based on what promotes efficiency and usefulness, rather than political ideology as was done in the Old Republic. Category:American Technocracy Category:Scenario: The Attitude Era Category:Geopolitics 2030s Category:United States of America Category:Scenario: Post-Second Cold War